LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (9-6-1, 5-2-1) at
WEST TEXAS A&M (13-3, 6-2)
Friday, Nov. 12 – 5 p.m.
Stang Park – Wichita Falls, Texas
 
CHAPARRAL HEADERS

• Lubbock Christian will play in the Lone Star Conference Championship semifinal for the first time ever after joining the league in July of 2019
• Friday's match will be played on a neutral field at Stang Park in Wichita Falls. Midwestern State earned the No. 1 seed and the right to host with a 7-1 league record
• Lubbock Christian's goals against average of 1.38 is the third-best in the conference, and their scoring average of 2.25 is the third-highest mark
• West Texas A&M earned the No. 2 seed on the last day of the season with a 3-2 win over Midwestern State. They went 6-2 in conference play overall
• LCU earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament with a 5-2-1 league record and 16 points. The two losses during league play were against Midwestern State and UT Permian Basin
   

POSTSEASON PLAY
Tuesday's win over UT Permian Basin was the second in postseason play for Lubbock Christian since they moved to the NCAA in 2013. The previous win was a 2-1 victory at St. Mary's in 2018. The Chaps are now 4-4 in conference tournament games all-time boasting a 2-1 record in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament during the school's NAIA days. LCU would have had a spot in the postseason in both 2013 and 2014 but was ineligible due to their provisional status in the NCAA. This is the first time the Chaps will play in the LSC Championship Semifinal. Their only previous foray into the league's postseason tournament was in 2019, when they suffered a 1-0 loss at St. Edward's in the quarterfinals.
 
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
Tuesday night's quarterfinal win was an offensive showing of epic proportions, as the Chaps drubbed the Falcons 6-0 on their home field. It was the first time they have scored six goals in a game since 2014 and tied their largest margin of victory in the NCAA era (6-0 vs. McMurry – 2013). Tariq Bakkali and Kevin Mejias both scored twice in the game, moving Bakkali into the team lead in goals with six this season. Luciano Rodriguez also scored in the game and assisted a second goal. He leads the team in points with 14. Overall this season, LCU has spread their scoring around, with 14 different players having found the back of the net.
 
SHUTOUT CENTRAL
Possibly lost in the impressive offensive performance of Tuesday night was Lubbock Christian's shutout of the Falcons, which was their eighth of the season. That ties the Chaparral program record for shutouts in a single season, which they previously matched in both 2013 and 2011. LCU's defense has posted a goals against average of 1.38, which is the second-best mark in the league. Chap opponents have average 10.8 shots per game and put a measly 32.4 percent of their shots on goal. Senior Braxton Thorne has been in goal for all eight of the shutouts and boasts a save percentage of .667.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN OPPONENT
Friday's game will be the sixth this season in which the Chaps have faced an opponent ranked in the top-25 nationally, as West Texas A&M comes in ranked No. 17. LCU is 2-3 in those games so far, with wins over No. 6 WT (3-0 on Oct. 9) and No. 24 St. Mary's (4-2 on Oct. 30). They also have a win over CSU-Pueblo, who was not ranked at the time but is currently No. 24.
 
RIVALRY ON THE RANGE
The LCU/WT matchup Friday is the fifth in the Rivalry on the Range series for the 2021-22 school year. Announced on August 6, 2019, the Rivalry on the Range is a year-long competition including 15 sports in which the two schools will compete against one another. The Rivalry on the Range series scoring components will include head-to-head battles in men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball and softball, with additional points available in postseason play. Fans can review the scoring system and follow the standings on rivalryontherange.com.
 
AWAY FROM HOME
Lubbock Christian will be playing its first neutral site game of the 2021 season on Friday. Ironically enough, the last time LCU played at a neutral site was also against the Buffs and at Stang Park, when the teams met on Nov. 2, 2018 in the Heartland Conference Tournament Semifinals. In true road games this season, the Chaps have gone 3-4-1 with wins over Adams State, UT Tyler and St. Mary's. They have averaged 2.25 goals on 11.0 shots per game when playing away from home, with 45.5 percent of their shots on goal. Stang Park is on the former grounds of Callum Stadium and has been the home of MSU soccer since 1972. It allows for 1200 spectators and features a 120x72 yard Bermuda grass playing surface.
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS

• WT lost only three times during the regular season- once against the Chaps and twice vs. St. Mary's
• Tom Miles is the goalkeeper for WT and has a save percentage of .627 this season
• Giancarlo Saldana is the Buff leader in goals (9) and points (21), but has played just once since Oct. 20
• WT has been ranked as high as No. 5 nationally during the 2021 season
• The Buffs won the LSC Tournament in the spring 2021 season, beating Midwestern State 1-0 in the championship game

 
A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD:

• Be the 101^st win in program history (100-81-22)
• Be the 42^nd win in head coach Paul Gilbert's career (41-47-10)
• Be the seventh win over WT since the all-time series began in 2013 (6-8-0)